The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 13

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PousiisHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTHERAN SynopIcAL CONFERENCE

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

or Nort AMERICA.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. XXI.

St. Louis, Mo., April, 1899.

No. 4.

Jesus Lives.

Jesus lives! no longer now

Can thy terrors, Death, appall me;
Jesus lives! by this I know

From the grave He will recall me;
Brighter scenes at death commence;

This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! to Him the throne

High o’er heaven and earth is given;
I may go where He is gone,

Live and reign with Him in heaven;
God through Christ forgives offence:

This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! my heart knows well
Naught from me His love shall sever;
Life, nor death, nor powers of hell
Part me now from Christ forever:
God will be my sure defence;
This shall be my confidence.

Jesus lives! henceforth is death
Entrance-gate to life immortal,
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal:
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense,
“Lord, Thou art my confidence.’’
From the German.

—__> —- em =

Lessons: of Easter.

The Easter season is full of comforting
truths and important lessons. Let me point
out some of them.

“Christ is risen!’’. From these Easter
tidings we learn that Christ is not a mere
man, but God’s own Son. ‘The apostle Paul
says, ‘‘He was declared to be the Son of God
with power, by the resurrection from the dead.”?
A mere man can not overcome death. All the
power of the mighty of this earth can not
conquer ‘‘the king of terrors.’’ In the grave
all the power of men and all the wisdom of
men come toanend. But what man can not
do Christ did. He conquered death and rose
triumphantly from the grave. Thus he showed
His divine power according to His own promise.
Pointing to His body, He said to the Jews:
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
Taise it up.” Again He said, ‘‘I lay down my
life, that I might take it again. No man tak-
eth it from me, but I lay it down of myself:

I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it again.’”? In the Easter season we see
His words fulfilled. The grave could not keep
the Lord of life. Christ, the eternal God, con-
quered death. The Saviour in whom we be-
lieve is not a mere man. Such a saviour could
do us no good. The Saviour in whom we be-
lieve is the God-man. He is God’s Almighty
Son, born of the virgin Mary, to become our
Redeemer. Woe to them that reject this Say-
iour. They reject, not a mere man, but God
Himself.

‘‘Christ is risen!’? From these Easter
tidings we learn also that the work of our
redemption is finished. ‘‘Christ died for our
ains,’’ says the Bible. He took our place,
and laden with our sins he was thrown into
the prison house of death. Suppose he had
been kept there. What then? Let the apostle
answer. He says, ‘‘If Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins,’’
1Cor. 15, 17. If Christ be not raised, there
was no atonement, no acceptable sacrifice, no
reconciliation, no redemption, no way of es-
cape from the curse and penalty of sin; ‘‘ye
are yet in your sins.’” But, let sinners re-
joice. Christ is risen! Full atonement has
been made, the sacrifice has been accepted,
God is reconciled, sinners are redeemed.
“Christ was raised again for our justifica-
tion,’’ says the Bible. He was our Substitute.
In Him we suffered and died, in Him we are
justified. In Him we were thrown into the
prison house of death, in Him we are set free.
Our sins He bore to the grave, our-sins He
left in the tomb. Our redemption is finished ;
for God, by raising Christ from the dead, de-
clared Himself perfectly satisfied with the work
of His Son. Are you satisfied? An old Chris-
tian woman was asked by a skeptic: ‘‘What
is the Gospel you believe and how do you be-
lieve it??? The dear old woman replied, ‘‘God
is satisfied with the work of His Son, that is
the Gospel I believe; and I also am satisfied
with it, that is how I believe it.’” Happy old
Christian! This happiness all enjoy that trust
for salvation in the finished work of Christ.
They can cry out triumphantly: ‘Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?
It is God that justifieth. Who is he that con-

demneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again,’’ Rom. 8, 33. 34.

‘*Christ is risen!’? From these Easter
tidings we learn also that we too will rise
from the grave. The apostle Paul says, ‘‘Now
is Christ risen from the dead and become the
firstfruits of them that sleep.’’ The firstfruits
are part of the harvest, the beginning of the
harvest, the pledge of the harvest. When the
firstfruits have been gathered in, the whole
harvest will surely follow. By that same di-
vine power with which Christ raised His own
body from the tomb, He will raise our bodies
from the grave. Of the believer he says, ‘‘I
will raise him up at the last day.’” Again He
says, ‘Because I live, ye shall live also.’’
This is His promise, and His own resurrection
is the proof that He can and will fulfill His
words. Since Christ is risen, the grave has
become to the believer a quiet resting place,
where he sleeps until the blessed morning of
a glorious resurrection, the morning that has
no cloud and no evening.

How important are the lessons of the Easter
season! May we accept them with a believing:
heart, and thus realize and enjoy the comfort
they give. ;

————1 o>

The Heart-Lock.

A lock was shown to Gotthold, constructed
of rings, which were severally inscribed with
certain letters, and could be turned round un-
til the letters represented the name of Jesus.
It was only when the rings were disposed in
this manner that the lock could be opened.
The invention pleased him beyond measure,
and he explained: ‘Oh! that I could put
such a lock as this upon my heart.’”” ;

Our hearts are already locked, no doubt,
but generally with a lock of quite another
kind. Many need only to hear the words,
gain, honor, pleasure, riches, revenge, and —
their hearts open in a moment, whereas to
the Saviour, and to His holy name, they con-
tinue shut. = e eM,

SH ee ey
cathe biiadie
“Take my poor heart, and let it be , La) ei
Forever closed to all but Thee,
Seal Thou my breast, and let me wear |”
That pledge of love forever there.” © .<